Time
by SanguineSpectre
Summary: <html><head></head>The untold story of the origin of the Kokiri children. Time explores the bonds of faith that unite Hyrule, Termina and the demons of the past and future.</html>


Time

"_The flow of time is always cruel... Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it... A thing that doesn't change with time is a memory of younger days."_

Long ago there was a loving couple from the land of Termina. The man's name was Keegan Kokiri and his wife's name Orena. They lived a modest life in town as an alchemist and painter and were often seen healing good townsfolk and keeping spirits high with beautiful works of art. Keegan and Orena were happy too but for as much as they loved one another they could not make a family together. The couple made poultices and potions, ointments and elixirs they even tried praying at the great sky temple of the Goddess to give them fertility but despite all their efforts they simply could not conceive a child. Keegan and Orena eventually became accustomed to the idea of a life without children of their own and found solace in other parts of their lives.

One day while in the market searching for flowers and plants for her paints and Keegan's alchemy Orena met a curious mask salesman. He seemed incredibly happy to tell her and all the other people around his stand about the distant lands he had traversed. He spoke of one place in particular, A place far away from Termina, a place ruled by a good king and queen where magic permeated everything and life flourished through all hardships. The mask salesman said that this was the place of miracles. It was called Hyrule. The mask salesman then began to speak of his adventures in some place called Holodrum when Orena spoke up and asked if miracles were truly commonplace in Hyrule.

"They often are my dear." Replied the mask salesman turning to face her, he wore a ceaseless smile as he continued to speak. "Why, I even knew a Hylian woman and her husband who overcame impotence with the help of a spirit that dwells in the forests of Hyrule." The mask salesman tilted his head and a twinkle of knowing seemed to emanate from his eyes as he continued, "Some say the spirit is the very same one that guards our own forest here in Termina, and there are some that even say our forest and Hyrule's are no less than one and the same! But of course, I haven't been able to ask the spirit to clarify these things you see, much too busy with my travels after all." The crowd chuckled at the mask salesman's dry jest, his face seeming to somehow contort into an even more strained smile.

"And how would one journey to this Hyrule?" Asked Orena amongst the crowd, almost in a whisper. The mask salesman seem to ignore the crowd now, eager to answer Orena's question.

"Through our very own southern forest my dear, but the way can be quite dangerous and the path well hidden." Finished the mask salesman, turning away from her. "But wait!" The Mask man turned back to her with a flourish. "I had almost forgotten to give you this!" In the Mask man's outstretched hand was a small flower, it's petals a bright white, feeling almost warm to the touch as she took it in her hand. The stem was a curious shade of blue. "For you my lady. I found this beautiful flower on my travels in Hyrule and thought you or your husband might find some use for it." The Mask man gave a curt bow and another strained smile.

"But how do you know of us-…." She started to say but he was already gone, faded back into the crowds around town.

There was something funny about the mask man but Orena couldn't resist the idea of this great magical place! She found her husband and told him all she had heard about Hyrule and the wonders that surely lay within. She showed him the strange flower the Mask man had given her but its identity was unknown to even him so she tucked it away. The couple agreed that this might be the sign they had been looking for and they began packing and saying their goodbyes to the good townsfolk, eager to move to this land of Hyrule as soon as they could. Perhaps they might find a way to finally have children of their own in this fertile, beautiful land.

The day finally came when Keegan and Orena were packed and ready to leave Termina behind forever. Keegan readied the horses and they began the slow journey to this new land of promise, hoping to find a way through the southern woods the mask salesman came from. But dark clouds gathered over the canyons to the east, a malevolent force had awoken. The skies took shape into a dark being, wreathed in flame and lightning, a demon full of hate and malice, a being whose very prescence signaled destruction and sorrow. The legends were true, it was the dark one, the one whose signs the sky prophet had foretold so many times, it was Demise. The good people of Termina fled in horror as the great cloud descended upon the town, it seemed to search for something amongst the screaming and tears. Brave soldiers rose against the demon but their souls were snuffed out despite their strength. Homes burned and the cobble stone streets cracked and jumbled. Keegan ushered the horses onward from the town, praying that he could bring Orena and himself to the southern forest, his heart weakened at the visions of his mangled friends . They had planned to somehow find the forest spirit and ask it how to get to Hyrule but now it seemed they would need the spirit's protection as well as its guidance. Keegan heard screaming in the town behind them as he urged the horses onward, his beloved Orena was weeping in the cab below, he knew he must protect her at all costs.

The great devil that was Demise roared with hatred in the distance. Keegan smiled desperately as the carriage pulled them towards the tree line. He looked back for only a moment to discover the billowing form turn slowly to face his direction; Keegan's heart sank with fear as the demon's eyes lit up in discovery. It seemed to smile in some foreign, deformed way before rushing towards the tree line at an unnatural speed. Keegan's eyes watered and his heart began to pound as he urged the horses onward ever faster, the great cloud pursuing him, slithering through the air with a sickening, serpentine grace. The trees were so close now; Keegan prayed even harder that the safety of the trees proved true. The demon was gaining on them, almost touching the carriage with its evil, close now Keegan thought, so close, faster, FASTER! The rage of a thousand storms rang in his ear, the demon would surely catch them, surely swallow he and his darling wife whole. The storm grew louder and louder building, building in his mind.

A burning hand seemed to grip his heart now, he heard Orena screaming in the cab beneath him. She was in such pain, visions of his friends in town flooded his mind and somehow he felt guilty for escaping that same fate. The tree line seemed to fade as darkness took him and the screaming, the thunderous noise grew intolerable in his head…

Then all was silent.

A bright light blinded him.

And slowly he heard… Music…

The sweetest melody he had ever heard filled Keegan's ears. It seemed to exemplify the forest. It breathed within him a happiness and freedom he thought he would never hold again. The visions of evil and the screams of his friends in town seemed to fade off despite having happened so recently. Instead of burning flesh he now smelled warm grass and spring time pollens. Orena stepped out of the damaged carriage and Keegan could see the music filled her spirit with joy as it did him. Keegan and Orena were bruised but largely unhurt so they salvaged what they could from their dilapidated carriage and continued on foot, searching for the source of such a beautiful song. As they were walking along they both gained a slight feeling of unrest as though they were being watched. All the couple could hope for now was that the watchers were simply curious locals. They could not decide if the travesty brought on their home had simply been a bad dream or if this new serenity was the realm of the sky goddess Hylia and they were simply dead. Keegan and Orena soon came to a clearing where the music seemed to be coming from. In the center of the clearing, sitting on a small stump sat an odd being playing a strange instrument.

The small being wore reed-like clothing of red and green, upon his head sat a wide brimmed hat. This same hat obscured his face. He seemed quite jovial as he danced, playing his music with precision and fervor. The couple watched him play as he had not seemed to notice them yet. The figure suddenly began to dance more and more wildly, the music he played became faster and faster until it suddenly stopped. The figure threw what looked like a flute to the ground and crumpled on his stump, a new noise arose, it sounded like… Crying. Orena approached the sobbing figure slowly; wanting to comfort him but the branches below her feet gave her presence away as she walked. The weeping stopped suddenly as the small being turned to the couple with a violent jerk of his body, and then dashed towards the flute on the ground. "WAIT" urged Orena. The small figure stopped and turned to her again. It now noticed Keegan as well.

"You'll abandon me just like the others won't you!?" It screamed.

"Of course we won't" smiled Orena. "We just need to find our way to a place called Hyrule. We thought maybe the forest guardian could help us find the way, maybe you could instead. Can you please help us?" pleaded Orena.

"That was him you know." Skull Kid grinned.

Keegan stepped further into the clearing to get a better look at the figure before his wife and him. Below the wide brimmed hat was a face that seemed to be made of wood, rotund, with two bright orange eyes and what seemed to be a beak for a mouth. "What are you talking about?" Keegan asked, though in his heart he remembered all too well. With the halt of the beautiful music the horror of their departure from Termina found new shelter in his waking mind. He held Orena close now.

"_You know_…" Giggled Skull Kid. " The one your precious Sky Prophet goes off about all the time. I watched him come from the clouds; he doesn't like you two at all! No no, ho ho. No indeed. NOT. AT. ALL. But I guess the forest guardian does, heh heh."

"Then our worst fears have proven true, Demise has come to destroy the world, and he started with Termina.." _But why now? What happened to bring this now? _Keegan held his wife closer as they remembered all the friends whose lives surely had been lost in the carnage.

"Oh it was him alright! The legends are all true, he's back now and my friends couldn't even stop him! Ha ha! Maybe he'll teach them a lesson for me! Teach them loyalty; teach them to never leave their friends behind! Why? Why did they leave me? It's been so long but I still can't find my own way.." Skull Kid sank against his stump making a mixture of inane cackles and desperate sobbing.

"Who left you? And how can we find the forest guardian? You mentioned it, do you know the forest guardian? Please, _please_ help us." Keegan approached Skull Kid slowly.

"What is your name?" Asked Orena. " My name is Orena and this is my husband Keegan, maybe we can help you, help you find your friends I mean.." Keegan and Orena were eager for any direction the desperate little man might offer.

Skull Kid began to shake with rage, "FRIENDS! THEY LEFT ME! AND FOR WHAT?! TO SAVE THIS WORLD FROM DESTRUCTION!?" Skull Kid jumped back on his stump and raised his fists to the sky above, "WELL LOOK WHAT HAPPENED! HE'S BACK ANYWAY!" Orena and Keegan backed away from the enraged little man as he slowly began to calm and sit back on his stump. "I have no friends now." Skull Kid muttered.

"We can be your friends!" pleaded Orena, stepping forward. "But please help us find the forest guardian you spoke of. Keegan and I need to find our way to Hyrule, we need to find out what is going to happen to the world."

"There were four of them." Skull Kid sighed. "One day they told me they had to go, they had to help prepare this world for something really big. I wept. I wanted to come too but they wouldn't let me. They said I had something to do too. But they wouldn't tell me what. That was so long ago but it still hurts so much…" Skull Kid looked down at his feet. Quiet. He seemed to ignore the couple. Neither Keegan nor Orena knew what to say. Then Orena spoke up.

"I don't know what is going to happen to this world but I know every living thing is now in danger. All Keegan and I wanted was a child of our own but our prayers were not answered. Then the mask salesman told me of Hyrule, a place of true fertility and magic. I thought maybe if we went there we could finally find some way to have a child of our own someday." Orena's eyes began to well up with tears. "I know we just met you, and I know you're mistrustful and in pain but we need your help, maybe the forest guardian can help us but we do not know the way. This forest guardian saved us from Demise once already, maybe it will show us the way to Hyrule and having a family of our own." Orena's eyes cleared as she looked at Keegan. "But with Demise plunging this world into darkness… Maybe another child should never be brought into this world after all."

"We should go back." Said Keegan with sudden realization. "There may be survivors! I can heal them if there are! We need to take them with us."

"Demise leaves no one." Skull Kid whispered knowingly. "Your friends and neighbors are all dead and you will be too if you go back there."

"Then we're powerless." Keegan murmured with lament.

"Against Him, most are. I don't know exactly where the forest guardian is." Said Skull Kid, standing up. "But I did meet the mask man you spoke of when he passed through this part of the woods. He came through a secret path in the forest not even I knew about. It must lead to this Hyrule place. He wouldn't tell me where he was from, he wouldn't even let me wear any of his masks! There was this one especially, big eyes, really scary, no one would ever hurt me again if I had that mask…" Skull kid paused for a second to think. As he did, strange shadows began to creep from the edge of the clearing; dark vapors began to rise from the ground towards the trio.

"Look!" Shouted Keegan.

"It's Demise!" Cried Skull Kid.

"But how can that be!?" Yelled Keegan as great storm clouds seemed to rise around them.

"The protection of the forest must be failing! Something terrible has happened! Follow me quick to where the mask man came through, it has to be the way to Hyrule!" Shouted Skull Kid through the raging storm around them. He led the couple through the forest as fast as they all could move, around them smoke billowed and lightning crackled, trees were felled and forest animals and Deku scrubs alike moaned in fear and anguish. Finally the trio made it to the path the mask salesman had used. Orena and Keegan kept going but Skull Kid stayed back.

"Come on!" yelled Keegan. "Why are you standing there?! Come with us!"

The storm grew to a climax in the forest as branches and leaves swirled around them all with a torrential downpour of black rain.

"I can't." Said Skull Kid, calm amongst the storm. "I lied to you both, I know all about Hyrule and how to get there…"

"What are you talking about?!" Cried Orena.

"I look like this for a reason you two. I didn't always have this beak. I don't think so at least, HA HA!" Skull Kid laughed heartily. "I can't ever go back to Hyrule. You two go on ahead. You'd never have followed me in the first place if you knew the forest guardian punished me and made me look like this. The funny thing is I don't even remember what I did. I barely remember anything these days. Just the friends who left me." Skull Kid turned away from the couple just as thunder cracked and a massive tree fell onto the path between them. Keegan and Orena jumped back almost falling into the tarry mud at their feet. "I'll be fine!" yelled Skull Kid. "Go on! Have your family!"

"But we never even learned your name!" Yelled back Keegan.

"I don't remember that either! I barely remember anything at all. But I can't go back to Hyrule. Not now… Maybe someday…"

With that, Orena and Keegan rushed down the path and away from the southern forest of Termina, away from Demise, away from the odd little boy, away from home.

The couple ran along the leaf strewn path for what seemed like days though only hours had passed and the dark clouds of Demise could only be seen in the distance far above the canopy of the forest. Keegan and Orena stopped by a small creek to rest and have a drink, the cool water was crystal clear and possessed a sweetness that neither of them had ever tasted before.

"Do you think he made it?" Orena asked suddenly.

"I don't know." Replied Keegan, hiding his face in his hands. It had only been half a day since the alchemist and his wife left Termina and in that short time they had lost most of their worldly possessions as well as their fervor.

"What now? How are we to find the forest guardian or Hyrule without a guide? Asked Orena.

"We just met a little boy who looks like he was made of wood just after running away from a giant storm in the shape of the same demon the sky prophet would use to scare us as kids. Orena my dear, I have no idea what happens now." Keegan plopped onto his back and Orena followed suit. They laid there on the grass together awhile until Orena sat up suddenly.

"If I can climb up one of those trees and see over the canopy maybe we can figure out where to go." Keegan sat up as well.

"That is a sound idea but please be careful climbing so high."

"I will be Keegan, I would have you do it but I know you don't like heights." Smiled Orena as she held her husband's arm. Keegan began to blush.

"Ha ha, maybe so dear. But one day I'm sure I'll sore high up in the air just like the sky prophet said our people once did. But until then I think standing under the tree and catching you if you fall will suffice." Keegan and Orena stood up and came to one of the taller trees surrounding the creek. Keegan boosted his wife up to the first branch and Orena proceeded to climb without much trouble to the top, high enough to see over the canopy of the forest. "What do you see!?" Called Keegan.

"Everything! Said Orena in reply. "There's a great mountain, with a river at the base. It's all beyond a vast plain."

"What else?!" Called Keegan, eager to hear more.

"I see a tree!" Replied Orena sounding excited. Keegan looked puzzled.

"Yes dear, there are many trees around here. It is a forest."

"No! No, Keegan, I see a HUGE tree, its branches reach far above the others! That must be where the forest spirit lives!" Orena began to climb down now.

"It MUST be! We should at least be safe there." Said Keegan excitedly.

When Orena touched the ground she said, "I saw the part of the forest we came from, dark clouds loom above it still. Maybe we should go back and find that… boy."

"No Orena, I saw what Demise did to our home, and you heard what the wooden boy said about Demise leaving nothing in his wake, I doubt our little friend could have truly made it. His eyes Orena. Cold hate is what I saw in the eyes of the cloud this morning. When he saw our carriage he came after us, like he was searching for _us_. For what grim purpose I know not." Keegan looked distant.

"I had no idea." Said Orena, sitting down.

"I didn't have time to explain earlier, but I think he descended on town, just to find us."

Keegan and Orena traveled through the forest for five days, relying on Keegan's alchemical awareness and Orena's masterful culinary skills to keep themselves well nourished. Soon the top of the great tree could be seen from the forest floor, the shadow it cast giving them a cool atmosphere to travel in as they approached its base. Keegan and Orena were excited albeit somewhat anxious to meet this forest guardian. The topic of most of their conversations of late was the shape and look of the creature, their discussions only fueled their curiosity at what lay in store for them when they finally met the fabled forest spirit.

"The tree doesn't seem as vibrant as the others around here." Said Keegan as they approached the tree's base. It towered above them with a presence neither could quite understand. It did look sickly however, with a white pallor to its bark and numerous dark holes at its base, oozing and sickly.

"It does seem a tad grey, I must have seen better days." Replied Orena.

"I don't know, let's go around to the other side of the tree, maybe there's an entrance the guardian uses." It took the couple ten minutes to walk around the tree and when they got to the other side they were amazed to see not a single entrance into the vast tree before them. Just then Orena and her husband fell to the ground as a great rumbling shook the earth below them. Some branches fell from the top of the tree while others wilted before their eyes, the grooves in the tree's bark seemed to deepen. Suddenly two holes began to open in the middle of the tree, within the holes was the purest looking amber either of them had ever seen, below these two holes opened a third, much larger hole. Together these three holes seemed to make up what could be non-other than a giant FACE.

"The forest guardian doesn't live inside the tree, the forest guardian IS the tree!" exclaimed Orena. Keegan's eyes widened in bewilderment. Then the great hole that was a mouth began to speak at them.

"Keegan and Orena Kokiri, I was wondering when thou would arrive." Said the tree seeming to smile at their presence though somehow its expression looked pained as well.

"Wh-who are you?" Asked Keegan, holding Orena close.

"Deku tree is mine name, I hast watched over this forest since the great incarnate and her betrothed planted me all those years ago. Thou and thy beloved hast nothing to fear from me dear child. I know of thy recent plights. As thou can see, demise hath left his mark on me as well, I still hold strength to protect parts of this forest but mine influence is waning. I lost sight in the forests of Termina some days ago and mine scrubs inform me that forest has been lost to the shadow of demise and for that I am gravely sorry. As it is, Hyrule shouldst be safe for it rests in the middle of mine domain, though mine influence is admittedly centered whence we art now and I hast already learned that some of the devil's minions will indeed pass through." The Deku Tree's amber eyes twinkled with warmth though it seemed very weary indeed.

"How do you know of us?" Asked Orena.

"My soul is connected to all the roots and scrubs of this world, though I may not make shift move from this grove we stand, mine eyes and ears art vastly mobile. I knew thou both when thou wast only children playing in the tree tops of thy youth and I hast known thou ever since, just as I know all living things at one time or another. I know ye art a great alchemist Keegan and I'm afraid I must ask for thy help. "

"Of course great Deku tree!" exclaimed Keegan. "You saved my wife's life as well as my own; I will do everything in my power to help you."

"Thank you dear child, thy heart is full of compassion and I am blessed to be its recipient." The Deku tree smiled.

"What must we do?" They asked.

The great Deku tree told the couple of a poultice of rare and incredible strength that was specifically designed to heal any ailment that afflicted the great forests of the world. Most of the ingredients were quite common except for a curious white pedaled flower with a blue stem known as Owlan, a native flower to Hyrule said to be found in the vast groves of the forest. Unfortunately The Great Deku tree recounted how Demise had withered all the Owlan groves of the world when he cursed the Deku tree. It was to Keegan's surprise that Orena produced an Owlan flower from her satchel, when she did the tree's eyes lit up with hope despite the wilted petals and crooked stem of the plant, clearly the result of hard travel.

Orena explained how the mask salesman had given her the flower to give to Keegan. She had completely forgotten it due to the recent strife she and her husband had suffered. The mystery of the Happy Mask Man seemed to grow larger day by day but his secrets would wait as the couple worked diligently to prepare the Owlan poultice for the Great Deku Tree. Two days it took to prepare with Keegan and Orena using all their alchemical prowess and care to create this saving substance. When it was done it formed a soft, moist mass with a light blue color.

"Now my children, cover my wounds with the mixture that I might again be whole."

Keegan and Orena took heed, covering every oozing wound of the Deku Tree, the blue color of the poultice coated their hands as they kneaded the poultice into each small hole. As they did the Great Deku Tree sighed in relief as loud scratching noises began to ring in their ears. Soft at first but the scratching noises grew and grew until flashes of gold sprang from each hole. Keegan fell back in surprise, Orena screamed. _Spiders. _Thousands of black legs carried the hundreds of little golden bodies from each hole in the Deku Tree, they scurried off into the forest as fast as their narrow legs would carry them. Orena managed to kill one with a stick before it left the clearing. Not only were their bodies golden but they were shaped like _skulls._

"What are these things?" Asked Keegan, approaching the shriveled husk at his wife's feet.

"Skultullas. " said the Great Deku Tree with obvious disdain. "Golden skultullas to be exact. They art the lowest form of creature that demise's blight hath brought on the land. The golden variant is particular cunning but mine scrubs shouldst bring swift death to most of them before they exit the forest." As he spoke, the Great Deku Tree's withered leaves surged with new life, his bark darkened and seemed to almost glow and his amber eyes brightened with health. "Thou hast both done me a kindness I couldst never hope to truly repay but try I wilt. To thee Keegan I grant this blessed ocarina, fashioned from the bark of the sky and made to enchant and serenade forevermore. To thou Orena I give this emerald, within it dwells the very courage of the hero of the skies. Each of these objects wast given to me by the goddess and her beloved before they left their worldly bodies. May each item give thou strength, comfort and guidance during all of life's struggles. Of course thou both art welcome in mine forests all the days of thy lives. "The Great Deku seemed to motion as if breathing deeply, enjoying his new found health.

Keegan and Orena looked at one another knowingly. Orena spoke "We thank you for your protection and your gifts Great Deku Tree. You have sought to guide us and protect us in any way you can but I'm afraid we must ask for one more thing."

"Ask and I shall do all I can to provide child." Replied the Deku tree, jovial in his tone.

Keegan then spoke, "We came here to Hyrule Great Deku Tree because we heard the powerful sorcerers of the royal family might help us to conceive a child of our own. We would ask them for their help but we do not know the way."

"I know of thy plight. I hast been able to mostly protect Hyrule from demise but yea I cannot protect it from itself. Hyrule is not the bastion of peace and tranquility that thou wast led to believe it is. The people of this land are still recovering from its most recent war that ended a year ago. Darkness and filth litter the streets of Hyrule town, the castle is in disrepair and all members of the royal family hast been whisk'd away by the Sheikah until Hyrule becomes stable once again. "

"Then all is lost?" Said Orena. "Is there no one that might help us?"

"I can…" The Deku Tree seemed concerned, he closed his heavy eyes and was quiet as if in thought, but when his lids opened again his eyes were clear and steady. "The love thou both share is pure and good and thy flesh made one in a child would be a blessing in this world. I can grant thou both the power to make a sapling of thy own but life is not so easy to grant and only one time may I go defy nature for thou. Also the child's life will be tied to the forest. It may not leave the safety of the trees or it will certainly perish. Is this all understood?"

Keegan and Orena's eyes lit up with glee, "Yes Great Deku Tree!" They said in unison.

"There is one more thing I wilt share with thou both." The great deku tree said calmly. "A piece of music that embodies all the forests of our world, all who dwell within the woods know its invigorating melody and to mark thy new place as people of the forest thou shouldst as well. " The Deku Tree smiled as a sudden gust of wind rustled through his leaves entering the wooden Ocarina that lay in Keegan's hand. From it came music that seemed to exemplify the forest. It breathed within Keegan and Orena happiness and freedom they never wished to be parted from. This music was familiar. Keegan and Orena looked at one another with a likewise knowledge. _Orange eyes and cursed beak in a raging storm. Those eyes held such sadness. But kindness too._

And so it was that the Alchemist of Termina and his wife began to live in the forests of Hyrule, under the protection of the Great Deku Tree. In a grove by their great guardian they built a home for themselves, a work shop for Orena's painting and sculptures, a great garden full of herbs and living spaces for the friendly Deku scrubs that had been appointed to help them. As the months passed on and Orena's belly swelled with new life Keegan made a name for himself as the forest alchemist of Hyrule. His potions and salves were known far and wide and even the witches of the desert became envious of his products. Keegan traveled all around, doing his best to nurse the war torn land of Hyrule back to health as he would any old friend.

Orena often accompanied him on his trips throughout Hyrule, helping sooth the sick and weak and mend the wounds of ill soldiers and civilians alike. Her painting skills became renowned for their realism and emotion. Keegan and Orena even used their new potion kart to transport war refugees from all around to Kakariko village for safety and rest. Soon Kakariko village contained a melting pot of races from all over the land. All under the watchful eye of the Sheikah people who governed the town. Even the proud Gorons of Death Mountain saw fit to open their home to strangers after Keegan spoke to King Darunia the first of the victims of the war and their continued sufferings.

All the while Orena's belly grew larger and larger until nine months to the day from when they healed the Great Deku Tree their baby girl was born. Her hair was forest green. She was the most beautiful sight either Orena or Keegan had ever laid eyes on. The Emerald given to them by the Great Deku Tree seemed to glow in the corner of their home when she opened her eyes.

"What should we name her my Love?" Keegan smiled as he took the baby girl into his arms.

"Saria." Said Orena with tears in her eyes. "Her name is Saria."

Saria was an intelligent and adventurous girl who learned to walk and talk before most children could begin to crawl. The speed of her maturity startled Keegan and Orena at first but over time they adjusted to Saria's development speed. They taught her to fish and sew and work with clay and paints. They shared heartwarming stories with her every night and soon began to teach her how to play the Ocarina they had been given by the Deku Tree. As a family they learned many songs but one was always present in their hearts. The song of the forest. First played to them by that little wooden boy all those years ago. They named it Saria's song because she loved it so.

Knowing that the Great Deku Tree's gift would give them only one child Keegan and Orena had adopted more children, orphans of the wars in Hyrule. There was Mido, a headstrong young lad always eager to help; Fado, a young girl with shimmering golden hair and a pension for climbing and enjoying watching the birds in the sky; the brothers Bing, Ting and Zing who seemed to always be on the move and Baruch a portly young boy who loved collecting things and as the years passed by Keegan and Orena brought even more orphans to live with them. The kindly Sheikah man Odaner who owned ran the orphanage in Kakariko village personally came to inspect the grove where Keegan and Orena lived before transferring to them the care of the children. Odaner could not have been happier with the couple's arrangements. Within the forest the children would have ample food and companionship and would be completely safe while under the watchful eye of the Great Deku Tree. Odaner made a point to personally speak with the Forest Guardian, thanking him for finding such a kind and loving couple to take care of such unfortunate children.

"War is not Hell." Odaner told Orena and Keegan before leaving. "Hell is only for evil doers and monsters. War is much worse, for it affects the innocent and guilty alike. There is no true comparison to war." Odaner shook his head and looked up longingly after mounting his horse. " And for what? Those fools that started the war wanted the sword, the sacred realm, the power of the Goddesses or some such. I'm not sure I believe any of it. All I ever see is that blade in the ground and people trying to pull it up into the air. All day they do this and to no avail. But these orphans were made just so some foreigners could try and pull it up themselves. If it were up to me we'd just hide the damn thing and forget it exists, pay our homage to the Goddesses and Hylia and be done with it." And with that Odaner said his goodbyes and rode off back to Kakariko village.

Ten years had gone by since Keegan and Orena Kokiri had first come to the forest of Hyrule.

All seemed to be well in Hyrule, the hard won peace had brought an economic boom to Hyrule that had never been seen before. The castle had been fixed, the town repopulated and with the fear of execution gone the royal family even came out of hiding to return to serving the people of the land. Keegan had opened up a potion and art shop in town. Soon business became good enough to hire help so that he and Orena could take days off from watching the store to focus on their family. The Kokiris became well known throughout the land for their calm demeanors, artistic talent and potion expertise and had been given honorary titles of nobility by the King and Queen of Hyrule for their selfless acts of compassion during the post war years.

Heeding Odaner's words the Kokiris had even been able to convince the King and Queen to build a temple over the sacred blade that it might be revered as a sacred piece of history and not just a powerful weapon used to provoke wars. The King feared that hiding the sword might sever Hyrule's link to the sacred realm but eventually conceited to the wisdom of the plan. Construction would begin under one condition, that the Kokiris the design and creation of the structure, a task neither Orena nor Keegan relished as neither of them had experience with such things but the leader of the Hyrule stone mason guild name assured them both that plenty of help would be given.

All in all the years had been good to Keegan and Orena and despite all their trials, the mask man had been right, all their dreams had come to fruition upon coming to Hyrule albeit in a roundabout sense. Life was all it was meant to be for them. So much so that even the feelings of that horrible day and that cloud with eyes of fire and ash seemed to drift away from all memory.

But Demise never forgets.

One day while Keegan was off managing the potion shop in castle town Orena was helping all the children learn how to fish from the small stream that ran through the grove. The few fishing rods they had were shared among the many children and strangely enough, all seemed to be content and well behaved today. Orena breathed a sigh of relief. Being a parent to so many was difficult but between the Great Deku Tree, her Husband and the deku scrub friends they had made over the years the children could be managed with relative ease. She smiled and looked out over the children, their legs dipping in the cool water of the stream as they laughed and teased each other lovingly. Each one of them had a story of sorrow bound with bloodshed or disease. It made her happy to know that in spite of it all they still remembered how to laugh. She felt a tug at the bottom of her dress and looked down to see Mido.

"Where's Saria?" He asked.

Orena surveyed the group of children three times. No green hair amongst them. She called her name and met with no answer. The other children began looking around as well.

Orena was terrified.

_That music. _Her mother and father had played it to her every night before she went to sleep. She loved every note of it, every beautiful tone. To her it was freedom and life. They named it Saria's song as a gift to her saying that the song always lifts their spirits just as like she always did. But between mom, dad and herself she had never heard anyone else play it.

At least not until early that morning.

The sun was not even up yet when she first started hearing it in the distance of the forest. Father had left for the shop already but he was always getting up super early these days. Saria had tip toed out of her room, careful not to wake her mother or any of her siblings. She snuck across the grove and stole into the forest ahead following the melody she had always known. Chances were that a deku scrub had picked up the song from hearing it so often and if so maybe she could start a band with him. The idea delighted Saria to no end. Already she thought of befriending a Zora and Goron child and forming the best music group Hyrule had ever seen. She had seen plenty of Scrubs in the forest but never a Goron or Zora. Mother and Father said she could never leave the forest or else she would get terribly sick. Saria believed them but not even her mother's detailed yet silly pictures of the other races of people in Hyrule could curb her curiosity.

Shimmering beams of sunlight danced through the tree leaves as she plodded on after the melody. It didn't sound quite like an Ocarina like the one her parents had given her, she delighted in the thought of learning about a new instrument from her friend. Up ahead she saw the inkling of a clearing of some sort. As she pushed away the bushes in her way to get a better look she saw the source of the music.

In the grass he stood. The small being wore reed-like clothing of red and green, upon his head sat a wide brimmed hat. This same hat obscured his face. He seemed to be completely still besides his hands which moved dexterously over his flute creating that beautiful song Saria always knew. He seemed sad though. Saria stepped forward to greet him.

The being looked up and Saria could see tears running down his cheeks. It began to speak.

"You have to lea-" the being's voice cut off as its warm orange eyes faded to black.

Skull Kid walked toward her.

Orena raced through the forest searching for a sign of her daughter.

She had checked the house and all over the grove. Her Ocarina, day clothes and all of her usual daily belongings were in the house so she had not had time to prepare. _But what does that mean?_ Orena had kept calm when she and some of the Deku Scrubs ushered the other children to the Great Deku Tree to watch over them. On the inside she was a maelstrom of nerves. The children were concerned for Saria but hopeful, even the loss of their parents had not completely tarnished their optimism. Orena was pleased by this but her heart pounded all the same. _Everything will be fine. I just need to ask the Great Deku Tree to locate Saria and I will go get her. She knows not to leave the forest. She knows._

The Great Deku Tree could not help.

"Mine roots and leaves are blinded by some spell dear child, I fear that Demise's agents have a hand in this. I'm afraid I cannot help ye find thy love Saria." The tree was even more solemn now than when Keegan and she had healed him those years past.

And so she told two deku scrubs to run and find Keegan while she and as many other scrubs as she could find looked for Saria in the forest. The more she ran the denser and darker the forest became. All around her an eerie gray mist seemed to form. She had lost sight of the scrubs that looked with her but it didn't matter. Saria. Saria. She had to find Saria. If Demise had truly found some way into the forest…

But then she heard it, that warm soothing song that they named for their daughter began to resonate in her mind. It was soft as a whisper at first but soon began to fill her mind. Yet it was different somehow and not in a good way. It seemed so distorted and lost as if the notes were simply being played without any mind to melody or rhythm. As Orena continued forward the tune became louder all around her and the strange mist seemed to thicken to a blinding veil in the air. She realized that she had no idea where she was and fear gripped her, for Saria, for Keegan, for the world, for herself.

There was a black outline in the mist ahead, darker than everything around. It formed some sort of figure, a man perhaps, with a large hat and something under his left arm. The figure seemed to stare up into the air, the grey mist pouring out of its eyes and mouth.

As Orena looked at the outline she recognized the being. _The wooden boy from the forest. But how?_

Orena stepped closer calling to the figure, asking for Saria. When she did the shape under its arm began to stir with gentle recognition.

"Saria? SARIA!?" Orena called rushing forward toward the figure. It lowered its head and raised something to its mouth. A sound of hideous laughter filled her mind.

She never felt the dart enter her neck.

It was cloudy above as Keegan urged the oxen forward through Hyrule field. There was a time when his meager cart was pulled by a single pony but as business had thrived expansion had followed and with it came the need for more powerful beasts of burden. Keegan sang graces in his head for all that had been provided for his wife and he and couldn't help but feel a smile manifest. His daughter might not be able to ever leave the forests of the world but he would always do his best to make her life full.

Keegan began to whistle Saria's song to himself. The melody of the forest was as beautiful as its new name and with it came a flood of happiness as always.

But the scurrying sound of deku scrubs approaching his cart and the look of loss on their small wooden faces saw to the withering of his contentment.

It took him two hours to return home. He felt as though he was in a dream when the Great Deku Tree finished explaining what had happened. _Saria, then Orena. Both missing. Demise. Demise. DEMISE. _He had to find them. Some of the scrubs reported mist in the forest. Black mist. Like a serpentine cloud. He had no time to lose. He packed lightly. Rope, cloak, some food and drink, some curative potions and the small dagger he made. "_Small use this may be if it truly is Demise" _He thought. As Keegan left the house he checked Saria's room and found all her traveling garments including her Ocarina. On a whim he grabbed it too.

The other children were worried. Some of them cried and he knew all of them worried, for both their sister and their mother who had not come back. _"They will be safe her with the Deku Tree."_ Keegan hoped. He told them all he loved them, hugged each one of them close and said he would be back soon. Keegan gathered the scrubs and thanked them for their help. Fifteen of them were left near the Deku Tree, the rest had been lost with Orena. "Try to keep them happy." He said with a forced smile. "If the worst should happen gather them in my cart and make for town." He tried to smile again before leaving them.

The smile never came.

Keegan reasoned that his best shot of finding them was where this mist was thickest and so he traveled on with dagger brandished in his hand. The mist smelled sulfurous and as it became thicker it blinded him almost completely. The forest around him was withered and seemed to lose all color. The mist clung to his clothing and began to weigh him down though he felt perfectly dry. Keegan Kokiri traveled through the woods for what seemed like hours trying to clear his eyes of the mist all the while.

His constitution against the miserable conditions was tempered only by his sense of loss and sadness for his wife and daughter. He began to feel his way through the mist. His skin began to burn and tingle and flaming lights in the distance seemed to fill his mind. _Is the forest burning? Am I burning? _Keegan began to crawl. The weight of the mist was too much for him. His skin ached and burned. He closed his eyes and took Saria's Ocarina from his bag.

Keegan brought it to his mouth and began to play…

The cough that woke him preceded a black tar-like substance in a puddle next to his face. He looked away and his first thought was, "_Green." _Keegan tilted his head back and forth taking in color with his still blurred vision. He rubbed his eyes to clear them. It seemed to help so he continued until he could see again with relative clarity. Keegan sat up and noted that the mist was nowhere in sight, all he could see was green grass and trees. Keegan stood but when he turned to look behind him he fell to the ground once more at the sight the orange eyes and beak of the man from the forest. Below him lie the forms of Orena and Saria, darts in their necks, their skin was pale and their eyes closed but Keegan could see a weak rise and fall within each of their chests. "_Still alive."_ Keegan thought. Skull Kid seemed to shake on the stump where he stood, clearly in pain.

"He's h-hurting me.." sputtered Skull Kid as a seizure knocked him on his back. Keegan jumped on him and held him down.

"What did you do to them!" Keegan screamed.

"T-take them p-please! P-poisoned!" Skull Kid writhed in pain again. "C-can't s-stop long. M-music you p-play helped. M-make me rem-member. N-not long. Not l-long." Skull Kid went limp as his eyes glazed over and smoke began to seep from his beak.

Keegan strapped Saria to his chest with his rope and held Orena on his shoulder and began to run.

His limbs found new strength after finding his wife and daughter but even still time weighed on him as he moved as fast as he could back to the Deku Tree. _The boy from the forest. Poison. Have to get back._ Thoughts swirled in his head as he ran. _"At least the mist is gone for now."_ Keegan thought though he knew it was reforming from the forest boy's body behind him. He dared not turn to look. All that mattered was that the way ahead was clear and the Great Deku Tree's branches could be seen above the canopy.

Keegan moved as fast as his legs would carry him towards the entrance of the Great Deku Tree's grove, Orena and Saria bouncing against him as he ran, he could feel their weak heart beats.

As Keegan passed through into the grove he fell to his knees, exhausted. The Deku Scrubs and children ran forward to help and the last thing he remembered were the warm amber eyes of the Great Deku Tree looking at him from above.

Keegan awoke to the sight of Saria's green hair. The child lay against his chest, fast asleep. His stirring seemed to wake her. "Papa." She smiled as she said it and went back to sleep. Keegan lifted her off of him and tucked her into the bed as he checked her heartbeat and felt her forehead for fever. Saria was perfectly fine. Keegan looked all around the house. The other children were in their own beds and fast asleep. There was no sign of Orena.

Keegan left his home to search for his wife.

His dawnlit search led him to the Great Deku Tree where he found her. "Thine heart is strong dear Keegan. Thou possess a soul that is of pure light and will one day fly far above mine canopy."

"Thank you for healing my daughter." Started Keegan "But why not Orena as well!?.

The Deku Tree looked down with sadness. "Child Saria is one of the forest, thus her body is familiar and could be saved even from this poison… but this poison…" He trailed off. "This poison is of the devil and hast ravaged thine beloved. No drought nor poultice can help her now. I am sorry." Orena lay before Keegan and the Great Deku Tree, her frame was shallow and grey, her eyes were closed tightly as if in pain but her chest still rose, albeit minutely. A few scrubs were around her wiping her brow and soaking her dry skin. Keegan had denied himself the full sight of her when he first arrived but as he now looked upon this ghastly visage of his wife it became too much. He fell to his knees and wept.

Without looking up he whispered, "Who is responsible?" though he knew in his heart. His memory still haunted by the sight of smoke rising from the wooden boy's beak as he seizurously writhed, his eyes glazed over and vacant.

"Demise." Said the Deku Tree flatly. "The Devil found a way to force his malice deeper into the forest. I suspect a vessel of some sort. Thou hast not told me of thine travels in the woods. What did thou see?

Keegan looked up at the Deku Tree. His amber gaze was piercing and wise but even he did not see what had happened with the boy in the forest. "There was a vessel." Keegan paused. "A boy in the forest. His body was wooden and he had a beak. He helped us ten years ago escape Demise.

The Great Deku Tree nodded in understanding. "We do not speak of him here. There is no surprise to be found knowing he had a hand in this."

"He said you cursed him." Said Keegan as he knelt by his wife to give her what comfort he could. Her grisly image terrified him. He dreaded her loss above everything.

"We do not speak of him Keegan." There was a strict finality in the Deku Tree's tone.

"Can we do anything to help her?" Keegan asked. He had cured poisons in his time but he had no idea how to cure his wife's affliction.

"her body cannot be spared but there may be a way to preserve her soul. Bring the sacred emerald I gave thou all those years ago. "

Keegan did as instructed.

"Rest it on thy beloved bosom and I will beseech the golden goddesses for aid." Keegan did so. The Deku Tree closed his eyes and began to hum to himself. The song seemed to usher in memories to and fro as Keegan listened. The ground began to shake the forest floor and all the while the forest emerald resting on Orena glowed with light. The light grew and grew in intensity and as it did Orena's body began to change. The Great Deku Tree continued to hum the strange melody and all the while Orena's body seemed to glow brighter along with the emerald.

Suddenly the Deku Tree stopped. The ground was still. The emerald dark again.

But Orena's body stayed full of light. He could not make out any of her features as she stood up in front of him. Blinded by her light Keegan only wished to hold her, to feel her soft skin and watch her paint in their home once more. He rushed forward calling her name but when he reached her the great light of her broke into thousands of smaller lights all around the grove. Keegan was dumbstruck.

"W-what happened!? Where is Orena?!" He exclaimed. Keegan's excitement had turned to confusion and then to anger.

The Great Deku Tree seemed to sigh in weariness. "This pain thou feel is just the beginning of Hyrule's hardships. Long ago events wast set in motion that art beyond all of us. Demise must be stopped Keegan. We each hast our place and our duty on this earth and thou and thy family hast now been chosen to prepare a way to end this blight. Orena's soul was pure and though her body couldst not be saved her spirit will live on to take care of all the children of the forest and the weary knights of the world who will one day rise against this evil. The Golden Goddesses hast willed this final fate for thy beloved wife. Not even they couldst save her body. Her spirit lives on in these beings of light." As the Deku Tree finished the grove seemed to flutter with the light the small winged creatures created. They seemed as confused as Keegan but eagerly explored the surrounding areas. None of them seemed to interact with Keegan.

"Do they know me?" Asked Keegan tears rolling down his cheeks. "Does she remember her husband?"

"No. They cannot know thou any longer dear child. I feared these events would come to pass but not this soon. Orena hath fulfilled a wondrous purpose as thou yourself wilt. Tis time for thou to leave the forest Keegan. "

"What of our children? Saria? Mido? Baruch?" The shock of everything was overwhelming.

"They will no longer remember you nor your darling betrothed Orena. These small beings will watch over them all and guide them in life. They will never grow old and as long as they stay in the forest, they will never die. But thou cannot be their father any longer Keegan. Thy children will be safe but thy heart is needed elsewhere."

"Can't the King and Queen help? Is there no one else that can take these tasks but us?!" Keegan pleaded. He was frustrated, defeated. Lost.

"The royal family is weak Keegan. Many of them will fall prey to the lure of greed and darkness. Thou must wait until the time is right." The Deku Tree said in reply.

"What must I do?" Said Keegan weakly. In shock of all that had happened, he resolved to let go of all that had happened. To breathe deeply and take it all in.

"Thou must guard the sacred realm from the desert storms. In time you shall learn how dear child. You are now a sage Keegan, a guardian of the sacred realm. Orena was not the only being transformed by the Goddesses this day. But your name must be lost to history and as Orena was reborn you shall be as well. All who once knew thou will forget thou and thy task will be thankless but fear not for thou will know nourishment from the wind through thy feathers and the glory of thy deeds in the years to come." The Deku Tree finished in a thoughtful manner, gazing up at the small beings of light that fluttered all about speaking to one another in a strange tongue.

Keegan returned to his home before the children woke up and gathered his things. He took all of Orena's paintings with him too. He would build a temple for her deep in the forest, a gallery to honor her life and her works of art. A secret garden for his family. His body needed neither food nor drink nor rest but even so building the temple would take him seven years. In that time his thoughts were rampant and wild, confused and frustrated but over time clarity came to him in spite of it all. He tried to visit the ancient grove of the Deku Tree once more but all of the children looked through him, unflinching. They were eager to play with the small being of light all the children seemed to be accompanied by. _I do not exist to them any longer. _Even his beloved Saria, with her big blue eyes and beautiful green hair looked through him. The same little girl who had called him Papa and snuggled against him just moments ago. _Was it moments? Or years? _

Keegan found that all he had left was time.

And time now mattered very little to Keegan Kokiri.

EPILOGUE

The Temple of Time had been finished for hundreds of years. It stood as a font of glory and history to the people of Hyrule though true purpose remained veiled in mystery. The land had seen peace for many centuries since the temple's completion but soon wickedness returned to the hearts of men and the Hylian Civil War plagued the land.

One night in the aftermath of a raid that left an entire wagon train burned and slaughtered a lone woman escaped the wreckage with her infant babe in her arms. She ran frantically into the nearby forest unaware of the arrow in her side praying to all the Gods to grant her baby safety. The weather ushered in a downpour that soaked the woman to the bone. She soon sat and rested against a tree, her blood loss making her too weary to go on. She stroked her child's tummy and hummed him a song as she released her final breath. The baby began to cry.

Sitting on a branch in the canopy above sat an owl, larger than any normal owl. It watched the baby cry in its mother's arms and ruffled its feathers to knock off some of the rain water. It stared intently at the babe until two Deku Scrubs heard the crying and came to investigate. Even so far above the owl could see how sad they felt. One of them gently picked up the baby to shield it from the rain and the other closed the mother's eyes, muttered some forest prayer and covered her with leaves. It was all they could do for her. Both of them left the small clearing with the baby in tow. The owl knew the babe would be safe.

As the owl turned to leave it noticed a small blue dot on the branch next to him. The owl soon recognized it as one of the "fairies" an affectionate name given to them by the Kokiri children they watched over. The owl had seen many fairies in his time, all over Hyrule. The owl made sure to remember all of their names.

"The Great Deku Tree will look out for the baby." Said the fairy, almost as if asking. The owl nodded. The fairy looked at the large owl. He seemed ominous but friendly too. "My name is Navi." Said the fairy. She fluttered up to land on his beak.

"Hello Navi, the others call me Kaepora Gaebora" Said the owl, speaking for the first time in a while. He turned his head all the way around like many owls can, forcing Navi to fly again. She giggled. The rain had begun to stop and the clouds shifted away to expose some stars and moonlight. A small girl walked under the canopy, her hair as green as the forest and her eyes a beautiful shade of blue. She looked up and saw and owl and a fairy in the branches above. She sat down and began to play her ocarina.

"You seem familiar Mr. Gaebora. I haven't met many owls though." Said Navi.

Keegan turned to her and smiled.


End file.
